The cost of health insurance is too damn high 

Middle-income households in Louisiana with employer-sponsored health insurance pay 15.6% of their income for coverage, the highest rate in the nation. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund. Stateline’s Anna Claire Vollers explains how the heaviest health insurance cost burdens are concentrated in the South:

“Southern workers face some of the highest cost burdens because wages in the region are lower, so families spend a bigger share of their pay on employer coverage,” said Kristen Kolb, lead author of the report and a research associate at Commonwealth Fund, in a statement to Stateline. “This leaves workers and their families with less room in their budgets for other necessities and can increase the risk that people delay or skip needed care.”

Louisiana needs to prioritize early education

Access to affordable child care allows parents to stay in the workforce and prepares children for long-term academic success. New Mexico recently became the first state to provide this crucial resource to all families, regardless of income. The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children recently hosted a webinar with New Mexico Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Care Elizabeth Groginsky. Crystal Ellis, in a letter to the Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate explains what she learned from the Land of Enchantment:

[Groginsky’s] keynote made one thing clear: This kind of transformation only happens when early childhood is treated as essential public infrastructure, not a private burden for families to navigate alone. When states invest early, families thrive, the workforce grows stronger and children gain the foundation they need for lifelong learning.

Reality check: Much of the money for New Mexico’s child care program comes from state trust funds made up primarily of oil and gas revenue. Louisiana, a major oil and gas producer, recently cut funding for early childhood education and could eliminate an additional 1,600 early education seats.

Workforce Pell and nondegree credentials

Pell Grants provide important financial support to low-income students that help them afford college. The federal budget and tax megabill that Congress passed over the summer expanded eligibility for the program to short-term job training programs, including nondegree credential (NDC) programs. Pew’s Phillip Oliff explains:

NDC programs are offered by a wide range of providers that include community colleges; trade schools; and other public, private, or for-profit higher education institutions. Nondegree credentials take many forms, ranging from certificates (such as those needed by nursing assistants and electricians) to licenses (including commercial driving licenses) to registered apprenticeships. Interest in NDC programs has grown significantly in recent years. 

State leaders have a critical role to play: 

(G)overnors’ offices will design the processes to determine which workforce programs are eligible for Workforce Pell funding in their state. … If implemented with a focus on quality outcomes and safe, affordable financing for nondegree programs, Workforce Pell could incentivize investments in high-quality NDCs that help Americans earn better wages and fill significant skill and labor gaps in the workforce.

Keeping the lights on with clean power

Residents of Baton Rouge will now have access to crucial electricity when major storms hit thanks to a new recovery hub powered by solar energy and battery storage. The effort is led by Together Baton Rouge, a group of religious congregations around the region that is part of the statewide organization Together Louisiana. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Ianne Salvosa reports: 

The lighthouses serve as a place for residents to come in and charge their phones and medical devices when the main power grid is down due to events like natural disasters. It also gives electrical workers a place to rest while working during power outages. They’re typically housed in accessible community spaces like churches. Together Baton Rouge leader Edgar Cage said the organization will conduct outreach to medically vulnerable residents during power outages. “The purpose of the lighthouses are to connect with people in the community,” Cage said.

Number of the Day

233.9% – Increase in Affordable Care Act marketplace signups in Louisiana from 2020-2025, the fourth-highest in the nation. The increase coincided with the creation of federal subsidies that kept marketplace coverage affordable. Congress allowed those subsidies to expire in December and now the cost of ACA coverage is skyrocketing. (Source: KFF via Governing)